The Civil Rights History Project: Survey of Collections and Repositories

L. Douglas Wilder collection

Collection Description (CRHP): The video tape collection also includes the memorial service for civil rights lawyer Samuel W. Tucker. It includes remarks by his partners Oliver Hill and Henry Marsh, two very important civil rights figures in Richmond, as well as Gov. Wilder, former Gov. Holton, NAACP Pres. Benjamin Hooks and others. It includes a 15-min. clip of Tucker speaking at the Richmond Ctr.

Collection Description (Extant): The L. Douglas Wilder Collection memorializes the life and career of Virginia's 66th Governor (1990-1994), the first elected African American Governor in U.S. history, and Virginia Union's most celebrated alumnus. Wilder graduated from Virginia Union in 1951 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in chemistry. He was the first Black legislator to serve in the Virginia State Senate since Reconstruction (1969-1986) and the first Black lieutenant governor of Virginia (1986-1990).

The Collection currently houses his awards and memorabilia in a spectacular showcase setting and will be an invaluable resource to researchers when his personal papers are made available.

Press Office Photo Collection
The Press Office Photo Collection of the L. Douglas Wilder collection is now available to students and other researchers in the form of a user-friendly spreadsheet. These negatives and photos span the years Gov. Wilder was in office 1989-1994. They are the photo record of his activities as Governor, including special occasions like his inauguration, visits from foreign dignitaries and even the Arthur Ashe funeral and his lying in state at the Executive Mansion . . .

Audio Cassette Tape Collection of Gov. L. Douglas Wilder
The audio cassette tapes of the L. Douglas Wilder collection are now available to students and other researchers in the form of a user-friendly database. These tapes primarily span the years 1995-2001 and for the most part are recordings of Wilder's popular WRVA radio talk show. Other tapes include public service announcements, campaign ads, press conferences and national news interviews Wilder had with such news organizations as CNN, BBC and CBS . . .

Video Tape Collection of Gov. L. Douglas Wilder
The video tapes of the L. Douglas Wilder collection are now available to students and other researchers in the form of a user-friendly spreadsheet. These tapes primarily span the years 1983-2001. They include the gubernatorial debates between Wilder and Marshall Coleman, political advertisements, public service announcements, Wilder's inauguration ceremony, the State of the Commonwealth addresses, and Wilder interviews on national news shows such as World News Tonight, Nightline, C Span, Sunday Morning and the Today Show.

Access Copy Note: The photo collection contains over 1,500 rolls of film and can be searched using keywords or dates, or simply scrolled through using the up and down arrows. To view photos from this collection, please refer to the negative number and contact the Archivist between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. weekdays at (804) 278-4117. The photos must be viewed in the archives; reproduction of any image is subject to a fee.

The database for the audiotape collection can be searched on key words or dates, or simply scrolled through. There are over 600 entries. To listen to a tape from this collection, please refer to the tape number and contact the Archivist between 8:00 am- 5:00 pm weekdays at (804) 278-4117. The tapes do not circulate, but can be used in the library between these hours.